Horseracing

Virgin Bet has secured a sponsorship agreement with the Ayr Gold Cup, along with the naming rights to the three-day Ayr Gold Cup Festival, which runs from 16 to 18 September. The highlight of ITV Racing’s live television coverage on the day, the Virgin Bet Ayr Gold Cup will be run on 18 September. In addition to the Virgin Bet Ayr Gold Cup, the sportsbook …

Sports betting operator Unibet has expanded its existing official sponsorship of the upcoming Qatar Goodwood Festival. Unibet will sponsor a further three races at next week’s premier meeting, taking the betting brand’s number of sponsored races at the festival to a total of 12. As part of the partnership, the operator has added three Group 2’s; the Unibet Lennox Stakes, …

The content of a BBC Panorama investigation has prompted the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) to call an ‘urgent’ meeting with the independently-chaired Horse Welfare Board, along with other industry leaders. Furthermore, the BHA will also contact colleagues at Horse Racing Ireland after the Monday night Panorama programme, entitled ‘The Dark Side of Horse Racing’, broadcast covert footage filmed inside one …

CareersinRacing.com, the recruitment and talent development arm for UK racing, has launched a ‘Youth Collaboration Group‘ which aims to provide young people with direct opportunities to reshape the heritage sport of horse racing. Supported by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), CareersinRacing.com is looking for ‘young people with an interest in horse racing and marketing’ to contribute their views and opinions …

The Racecourse Media Group (RMG) has extended its licencing rights agreements for the distribution of audio visual and data content with race tracks across the UK. Under the terms of the five-year contract renewals, 35 racecourses have extended their LBO content distribution deals, whilst 33 have signed agreements covering all other aspects of media rights. The latter extensions include streaming …

Sky Sports Racing and The Racing Partnership (TRP) have secured a ‘significant’ agreement with Newbury Racecourse. Under the terms of the five-year partnership , all of Newbury’s 29 annual race meetings will be broadcast on Sky Sports Racing, adding a portfolio of prominent fixtures across both Flat and Jump to the broadcaster’s schedule from January 2024. Among those are the …

BetMakers has signed a multi-year partnership with Sports Information Services (SIS) and the Racecourse Media Group (RMG) covering live streaming of British and Irish horse racing vision and wagering content. As a result of the deal, BetMakers will act as an authorised supplier of vision and content held under rights by SIS and RMG to approved Australian corporate sports betting …

The Racecourse Association (RCA) has released a statement welcoming the government’s announcement of the planned relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions on 19 July, emphasising the ‘difficult time’ the pandemic has posed for the industry. Under the government’s plans, a range of COVID-19 safety and social distancing measures will end on 19 July ‘in one go’, although authorities will retain the ‘ability …

Denis Egan, the CEO of the Irish Horse Racing Regulatory Board (IHRB), has announced his early retirement from the position, effective from 30 September 2021. Egan first joined the Turf Club in 1995 and became the CEO of the organisation in 2001, after which he transformed the regulatory arm of The Turf Club into the IHRB in 2018, taking on …

The Racehorse Owners Association (ROA) has confirmed the appointment of four new board members, one existing member, three by election and one by co-option. Pursuing a strategy of transitioning to leadership via a ‘skills-based board’ has been a key objective of the ROA, one of ‘a number of recommendations’ made by the current board as part of the organisation’s Corporate Governance …